1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an electronic reprographic system, and more specially to the method for controlling the generation of cover sheets for an electronically reproduced or electronically printed document.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In copying or printing a set of documents, it is occasionally desirable to insert into the output document set one or more sheets having a different characteristic. U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,161 to Forest et al. discloses a copier operable in an insert mode wherein a key sheet is used to mark the spot of an inserted sheet, wherein the inserted sheet may be either blank or have an image printed thereon. The inserted sheet is used to separate a stack of documents, different print jobs or collated sets. In the specific situation where the inserted sheets correspond to the respective beginning and/or end of a collated set, the inserted sheets may be considered cover sheets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,130 to Satomi et al. discloses a method of automatically controlling a copying apparatus adapted to print images onto opposite surfaces of a copy sheet wherein the inputted documents, for example a book, can be arranged such that they are output in the same order and arrangement as the originals. A method of copying a left-hand bound book and a right-hand bound book are shown.
In general, the related art presented above does not teach the automatic insertion of cover sheets into an output document set. However, the Xerox 5090.RTM. Duplicator is capable of automatically adding front and/or back covers to a copy job, as described in the Xerox 5090 Duplicator Operator Manual, Xerox Corporation, Rochester, N.Y., Nov. 1988, pp. 4-13 through 4-15. Generally, the light-lens based reprographic system may be programmed by an operator to add front and/or back cover to an output document. Furthermore, the covers may have images placed thereon, as selected by the operator, in accordance with the output mode of the remainder of the copy job and the type of cover sheet selected. More specifically, the number of sides available for printing on the front and/or rear cover sheets is limited to the number of sides that are to be printed for the balance of the job (i.e. the non-cover sheets). In addition, should the cover sheet substrate have an unusual characteristic, such as a transparency, or letterhead and pre-drilled paper, additional operator intervention is required to ensure the desired cover appearance. Unfortunately, due to the required operator intervention, or inability to obtain the desired cover configuration, document cover sheets are frequently produced as a separate copying job, thereby requiring a post-production collation operation to combine the covers and documents.
In view of the limited capabilities for production of document set covers and with the added possibilities associated with an electronic reprographic system, the production of document cover sheets is rendered controllable by the reprographic system. In general, the ability of an electronic reprographic or printing system to utilize a stored digital image for the production of the output sheet gives rise to the possibility of a broader range of features for document covers, thereby enabling the output of covers in any possible configuration without regard for the configuration of the input document.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of controlling the generation of cover sheets for an output document produced on an electronic reprographic system. It is an additional object of the present invention to enable the automatic printing of one or two sides of an inserted cover sheet, wherein the printed images correspond to predetermined input images. It is a further object of the present invention to automatically resolve any discontinuities, between the output set as originally programmed and the output set as produced with covers, that may arise as a result of the cover sheets having one or more printed images thereon. It is a final advantage of the present invention to eliminate the need for manual resolution of discontinuities between the original or input document set and the desired output document set, including cover sheets, thereby improving the efficiency of execution for copying jobs requiring the insertion of cover sheets.
Further advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features characterizing the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.